


Closure

by minkeylover33



Category: SHINee
Genre: Angst, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-08
Updated: 2017-05-13
Packaged: 2018-10-29 10:53:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,546
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10852482
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/minkeylover33/pseuds/minkeylover33
Summary: When the Prince of Gyeonbok was younger, he believed love was like magic. Unfortunately, everyone has to grow up. (Minho/Jonghyun, slight!MinKey)





	1. Part I

**Author's Note:**

> This story will have 2 parts. I hope y'all like it~

On the day the prince of Gyeonbok finally completed his eighteen years old, the whole kingdom seemed to go wild. The whispers at every corner, every house, every gathering of friends didn’t allow one to deny the fact that this was a moment anxiously awaited by each one of its residents. Also, it wasn’t necessary to say the king and the queen were even more ecstatic with the prospects that shone before their eyes, with the infinite possibilities that the union of their first-born son could bring.

Several important names of the whole elite proliferated before the heir with a speed greater than any disease could spread. Everyone longed for the status and life that such an alliance would carry, bringing prosperity not only to the chosen one, but to their whole family, who would be bestowed with such prestige.

However, not only the members of the upper strata of society seemed to be interested in that vacancy, but also the humbler people, the ones without much to offer. Daughters of bakers, carpenters, cooks, farmers... The monarchs watched with amusement the hope that their people so futilely demonstrated. After all, what kind of benefits could a union with the plebs bring them? Their vain attempts were only mocking grounds for them and their officials, who were in charge to announce such unwanted proposals.

One person, however, didn’t appeared to be satisfied with all that commotion around himself: the prince.

The day of his adulthood was an event he had feared for years, ever since he came to understand its meaning, since the day he knew he would be compelled to marry a random person just for the pure capricious convenience of his kingdom. How fair was it to tie his fate that way to someone he didn’t even care about? Someone he didn’t even know?

At the sound of his worries, his father had only smiled, shaking his head as if he found his fears and concerns funny. He’d said gently, "My son... One day, this whole kingdom will be under your responsibility. Superfluous things must be left behind in the name of the greater good."

"Superfluous things?" The heir had asked him, his face furrowed in confusion. "So is love a superfluous thing, father?"

The king smiled again as if that were the most foolish question he had ever heard in his long years of life. "You’re still a naive boy, Minho. One day you will understand that love is not what authors describe, actors play, or musicians compose... Love is not magic, son. With time and patience, I’m sure you’ll come to love your future wife over the years, just as I’ve learned to love your mother very much." He smiled at the desolate and disbelieving expression of the fourteen-year-old. "Don’t worry about it now. You still have years of freedom ahead, okay?"

But those years had passed, and the present frightened him for the same reasons as when he was still young and inexperienced. In fact, the prospect of everything frightened him even more now.

Minho was no longer the same innocent boy who only knew love through books, plays or songs, as his father had wisely pointed out. He now clearly understood the feeling of being in love, and though his father believed that love was not like magic, he felt to disagree.

His first love was like magic...

Jonghyun was like magic…

The prince had met his first friend when he was eleven years old. Jonghyun had a completely different personality than his... While Minho was reserved and careful, as a likely consequence of his few interactions and previous relationships, Jonghyun was spirited, vigorous, noisy, a true force of nature. While Minho retreated into his room and contented himself with his numerous fantasy books, Jonghyun was always willing to make sure the adventures wasn’t just stuck in a tedious piece of yellowed paper.

Only after meeting Jonghyun Minho could say he had explored every corner of the castle, from its vast gardens to its highest towers. Each of his days beside the smiling, contagious boy was an even more entertaining challenge than the characters in the stories he read.

When Minho turned fourteen, he believed he finally understood what that love thing was all about, because something had changed in the way his heart seemed to yearn for the presence of the one year older boy, seemed to jump by seeing that smile he should have become accustomed to after so many years together, seemed to stop every time that, in an innocent gesture, Jonghyun held his hand to take him to some hidden corner from the adults who would always come to look for him to help his mother, one of the royal cooks, in the great kitchen of the castle.

Jonghyun had been his first love, and as soon as he overcame his nervousness and convinced himself that he was doing the right thing, Minho joined his lips to his for the first time.

So sweet…

Instead of being startled by the sudden gesture, Jonghyun smiled. And Minho learned again that he lived for that sight.

Taken by relief, the prince kissed him again. And again.

And everyday.

However, Minho soon learned that love, like all kinds of magic, had its price. And like every fake potion, had its expiration date.

On the day the words "I love you" finally left the prince’s lips, Jonghyun glowed like an angel underneath his naked body, the two anesthetized and stupidly sleepy for the explosion of pleasure they had experienced for the first time, oblivious enough to only notice that someone was watching them when the queen's high-pitched scream made them look in the direction of the bedroom door.

At the age of sixteen, on the balcony of his room, with tears streaming down his face as he watched Jonghyun and his mother being escorted by two guards outside the castle, Minho saw no reason to believe in magic anymore. Like magic, Jonghyun was out of his life. Reality was cold and cruel again.

His father had been right: he was just a naive boy. For him, who now saw thousands of candidates throwing themselves at him for the position at his side, it was all a spectacle. And he himself didn’t know if he wanted to love ever again.

 

♠

 

Ever since he met Jonghyun, Minho had discovered in the gardens of the castle his favorite place to be. In that space, surrounded by flowers with the most varied colors and scents that blended in a singular way, with warm fingers intertwined with his, the prince perceived love as an even more glorious feeling, worthy of long and sweet poetry. He used, without any trace of embarrassment, to share thoughts of that sort with the older boy, who always smiled gently at him, his beautiful brown eyes gleaming against the sunlight. Minho was a romantic, and he had never had difficulty with words.

Now, however, the white bench with gold details in the middle of the garden only served to bring back memories (beautiful though distant and painful), and it was a shadow of what it used to be. Still, the place did not fail to offer a refuge whenever the young man needed to get away from all the rush of the castle and think without frequent interruptions.

Seated, Minho sighed, rubbing both hands over his face and mourning the long day he had had, visiting mansion after mansion through the kingdom to meet daughters of important men by the extension of its vast territory.

In fact, the prince wondered why weren’t they the ones to come to him? Weren’t they the ones interested? Everything would be simpler and less stressful, and it was not like he cared.

The young heir wasn’t trying to appear enthusiastic about his quest, which was evident to anyone who saw him at such encounters, and rumors were already spreading everywhere about his cold temperament toward the candidates.

His parents couldn’t be more dissatisfied. And he couldn’t care less. If they were going to force him into that kind of torture, they couldn’t expect him to agree to it with a smile on his face, right? Minho was not a master at the art of fake smiles, and sometimes it was a skill he wished to have in moments of convenience.

Resigned, he looked nostalgically at the flowers around him, strongly wishing to return to those days that were so much simpler and invigorating, that were complete and full of good feelings. Those times when love was still part of the roll of his daily emotions. Now everything seemed to be empty, even though the garden remained as beautiful as it had been before, maybe even more now. "Jonghyun... Do you still think of me?" Minho murmured in a gentle tone, his eyes closing as he felt the cool breeze touching his face softly. "I just hope you're okay..."

At that moment, the sound of someone clearing his throat made the prince startled, the young man opening his eyes immediately to find one of the servants of the castle standing before him, making a bow as soon as he got his attention. "Your Highness, Your Majesty wishes to see you immediately."

Snorting, Minho crossed his arms against his chest, averting his eyes from the man, the words leaving his lips roughly, "As always, it makes no difference that I do not want the same, right?"

The servant remained silent, doing one last bow before leaving him alone again. The answer to that question was obvious: Minho wasn’t so lucky.

 

 ♠

 

"So, what's so urgent that couldn’t wait for dinner?" Minho asked cheekily as he stood before the throne where his father stood, the queen seated at his side.

"Minho, your lack of respect is already beginning to push all the limits." The king scolded him, the expression on his face not so amused. "We understand how upset you are at this whole situation, but that does not give you the right to act like a spoiled child, much less in front of so many important people."

Minho smiled without any humor, understanding immediately the reason for his coming. Of course, his posture in front of all those fake people was always the point. "And isn’t that what I am? A spoiled child? And no, I don’t believe you understand how much I hate all of this."

"Minho!" This time it was his mother who intervened, looking scandalized at the way he was behaving. "Why do you have to make everything so difficult for all of us?! You’re going to marry a beautiful and polite girl, son, we are not sending you to the guillotine!"

"I’m sorry, mother, but I think you better than anyone should know of my preferences, huh? You saw us together, I loved him." The prince made a point of reminding her of the fateful afternoon when everything had collapsed. "I don’t care at all about any of these women."

"Choi Minho!" The king exclaimed, looking furious at the obvious insinuation of his son's disgusting sexual preferences. It was something absurd, that he could never leave that castle, that should never have existed or passed through his head. Damn that servant’s son for having bewitched him! "I do not want to hear those aberrations out of your mouth ever again, do you hear me?! What you had, or what you think you had, with that repulsive boy-"

"JONGHYUN IS NOT REPULSIVE!"

"WHAT YOU THINK--" The monarch interrupted him in an even higher tone, shutting him down at once, then returning to what he was saying. "What you think you had, all that was a huge mistake. I don’t know what makes you think that your mother or me, or anyone else, would have accepted such a dirty relationship. Not only with a man, but with the servant's son! You should be ashamed to bring this story to your mother again!"

"I'm not ashamed of the love I felt for him, if that's what you expect of me." The prince replied, struggling not to defend his feelings by shouting. How dare he call what he had with Jonghyun dirty? There was nothing in the world purer than what they felt for each other.

"What I expect from you, Minho... is that you grow up. You're not a silly child anymore, so do not act like one." The older man said sternly. "No matter what you say you feel or felt, you already know what your responsibility is. Your duty. In three days, you’ll know your wife's name, and we expect you to act like a man and do what you need to do. "

Minho nodded slowly. "I'll never feel anything for her... for any woman." He said, his voice showing a surprising and resigned calm, his eyes fixed on the man before him. "I just hope you know that. That your son will never be happy."

"As long as you reign as you should, give us heirs, and behave like a rightful king in the eyes of the kingdom, nothing else matters." The monarch emphasized.

Minho nodded again. "Okay, it’s not like I have a choice, right?" He smiled for a brief moment before putting up a stern face. "But do not expect smiles. I may learn how to be a legitimate king, but I don’t know if I can ever learn to be fake.” And with an ironic bow, the prince withdrew from the great hall.

 

♠

 

Only a few weeks later, Minho was a married man. He preferred not to remember such an unfortunate fact.

Yes, Sojin was beautiful, polite, and everything his parents had promised her to be, and yet none of that made any difference. He had no interest in getting to know her, and frankly he didn’t know how any heir would be produced without even visual contact between the ones involved.

Three days had passed since the grandiose and exaggerated ceremony, and the prince couldn’t believe he was now being scolded by his parents for not spending his nights in the room with his wife ever since. Did they really need to watch his life so closely? It was so disgusting.

"I don’t have the slightest interest, okay? And it's not like the realm needs an heir urgently." Minho replied, feeling irritated (as usual in the presence of the elders) and counting the seconds for that sermon to end.

"Minho..." His mother tried, in a much gentler tone than his father's. "You should at least give her a chance. Sojin is a great girl, and your cold treatment is quite unfair to her, don’t you think? It's not her fault that you're so upset."

The prince sighed, tired of all that discussion. Maybe his mother was right, but that didn’t make him want to spend the night with the girl. "I'll try to be nicer to her, but that doesn’t mean I'm going to lie next to her at night."

"You need to change that attitude of yours, Minho!" The king resumed his speech, his voice even more severe and cold. "You need to forget the past and what you think you know about feelings! Maybe we should hire some experienced girl to put you on the line and make you understand some things about life!"

The young man's mouth remained open for a few seconds, the shock evident in his features. "A prostitute? Is that what you think will make me more of a man?!" He asked, going on before the king could answer him. "Good to know that you don’t expect me to be a faithful husband, maybe I'll go look for some adventures out there."

“Choi Minho! Don’t you dare--!”

"I no longer have to listen to this!" He shouted, making his way to the door like a thunder, leaving the room with a crash.

Enraged and not paying any attention to the path ahead, his hurried footsteps were abruptly interrupted by a body crashing against his, sending the other person to the ground with him.

"Ouch!" Minho heard the young man under his body exclaim, an expression on his face that left no doubt he was hurt.

"Are you all right?" He asked with concern, leaning on his elbows to keep his weight from the boy, studying him closely. "I'm sorry, I was not paying attention and-"

"Obviously not!" Looking annoyed, the other boy rubbed his head with one hand, his face frowned.

Minho looked shocked. Who was that person and how dare he talk to his prince like that? Did he even know who he was dealing with? "Do I know you?"

Lifting his head to look at him sternly, the blond boy glared at him. "You could get off me before asking questions, don’t you think?"

Still perplexed, never having been treated that way by anyone, Minho stood up, holding out one hand to help the other to do the same. "You're new here, aren’t you?" The prince asked again, watching the boy straighten his clothes. "I believe you don’t know who you're talking to."

While he waited for an answer, the young man looked him over. "Should I?" The blonde asked, biting his lower lip and looking apprehensive. Perhaps he had finally realized he was in the presence of someone important, the prince's clothes being a rather obvious indication.

"Choi Minho."

At the sound of his name, the boy's eyes widened comically, all the bravado falling to the ground in an instant. "C-Choi Minho? Are you... the p-prince?!"

Finding the immediate change in behavior funny, Minho giggled. "The one and only. How is it you never saw me before, hm...?" He stretched the end of his question, hoping to know the name of his company.

"Kibum, Kim Kibum, Your Highness." He replied with a deep bow. "I... I'm not from here. I... Please forgive me, I-"

"Kibum." The prince repeated the name, interrupting the blond boy and his apologies. "May I know where are you from and what are you doing here, Kibum?" He asked, his tone non-accusatory, just filled with genuine curiosity.

 

♠

 

That afternoon, Minho discovered Kim Kibum was a personal servant to his wife Sojin, and that the boy had accompanied her to the castle since the day of their wedding.

They talked for a few minutes, but the prince was a bit frustrated to note that the boy had completely changed his way around him after discovering who he was.

The truth was that it had been an unexpected experience to have someone treating him as if he were a normal person, a welcome change. It was annoying to see how people always carried themselves with extreme care around him, as if they could never be themselves. They always felt the imperative need to flatter him because of stupid hierarchical rules for which he paid no mind.

Kibum seemed to be a shy and somewhat frightened boy, and Minho had to reassure him he wouldn’t tell anyone that he had been wandering around forbidden areas to the servants. The young blonde still didn’t know the rules around him, much less the corridors of the castle, and that’s why he got lost in the search for his own room.

The look of surprise on the blond's face when the prince had offered to take him to his quarters had been priceless. Minho smiled, assuring him again that it was okay, and that he was glad to have found someone to distract him from his troubles for a moment.

"Princes like you have any problems?" Kibum murmured more to himself than to the other, but Minho couldn’t help but listen to him.

"Unfortunately, Kibum." Minho answered with a sad smile, his eyes fixed on the path ahead. "Unfortunately..."

 

♠

 

A few months later, the seasons changed, and the beautiful, flowering spring, followed by a bright summer and a quiet fall, gave way to a harsh winter. For the population, the difficulties increased: their houses weren’t warm enough, the diseases were multiplying, the harvest suffering... For the prince though, none of that made any difference. The castle was a refuge from the strong sun or from the occasional snow.

In his heart, it rained every day since Jonghyun was gone, so climate changes never really affected him.

Not much had changed since Choi Minho got married. The situation with his wife was pretty much the same, if not worse. They barely exchanged greetings, and she had stopped trying after a while. On the prince's part, there was no effort to change that. Try as he might, he couldn’t help but resent her for his unhappiness. She was the symbol of everything his life had become, of everything he was forced to face for the sake of others.

Minho could now point out only one significant change: he had a friend. Kim Kibum made his days a little less boring and repetitive. Not that they ventured too much or did things out of the ordinary, but having someone to talk to, someone he trusted, was already a relief beyond what the prince could measure.

Kibum was the only one (apart from his parents, obviously) who knew about his past. The only one who listened patiently and whose eyes filled with honest tears as he listened to his painful love story. Minho was grateful to the boy for never judging him.

His parents didn’t approve of his friendship with the princess's servant, for obvious reasons, but Minho couldn’t care less. They couldn’t take that away either, unless they wanted a prince even less willing to do his duties. Nothing terrified them more.

On one of those cold winter days, the prince and his friend were sitting side by side in front of the fireplace in the heir’s chambers when Kibum asked him something that made his eyes go wide. Minho turned his body to face him, to know if he had lost his mind. "What?"

"I asked if you ever thought about looking for him."

Look...? Look for Jonghyun? No, Minho had never thought of that possibility. First, he wouldn’t even know where to start, he had no idea of where the boy was. Second, what good that would do? If he found him by some sort of miracle, what would he do about it? If they couldn’t live together in the castle, what would be their other option? To run away? The consequences would be disastrous.

"What kind of idea is this?" Minho shook his head, trying to push those dangerous thoughts away from his mind.

"You still love him," Kibum replied, as if that were the simple answer to all the bad things in the world. As if love had miraculous powers. Kibum was a romantic, but Minho couldn’t help being a pessimist.

"And? What difference would it make to find him?"

"I don’t know... Don’t you want to see him again? Just one more time? I know you didn’t have the opportunity to say goodbye properly... Maybe that could finally calm your heart. A closure.” Kibum explained. Seeing the unconvinced expression on his friend's face, the young man sighed, "It's hard to see you suffer like this every day, my prince. I just wish you could...move on." He completed, head down, facing his own hands on his lap.

Kibum hated to see him suffering. He hated feeling helpless beside his friend... He hated to know Minho would never realize his feelings for him.

Because the prince would never get over his first love.

Only, he didn’t know he was Kibum’s first love too.

"Okay, you're right," Minho stated firmly after a few minutes in silence, Kibum turning to face him with round eyes. "I do want to see him. For the last time."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone's liking it so far~ I've put a lot of effort on it, so any feedback would be lovely <3  
> English isn't my first language, so I apologize for any mistakes you might find.


	2. PART II

PART II

 

Even after making his decision on finding Jonghyun's whereabouts, the prince knew that wouldn’t be a simple task. He had no clue of how to find him, had never heard a word about his situation since the day he had left.

On the other hand, as the important person he was in the castle, Minho knew he wouldn’t have to look for him on his own. He had trusted people around him, people who would do his bidding without saying a single word to anyone (mostly not out of loyalty, but out of fear of the consequences of going against the prince). And, of course, also because the young heir wasn’t accustomed to visit the villages, and his presence would lead to commotion in the streets and suspicions about his reasons, he couldn’t go by himself.       

At that moment, Minho had four men on his mission, all of them willing to search for the older boy relentlessly. He hoped it was enough, he prayed every day for positive news.

The prince still had no idea what he would do when he found Jonghyun though. The mere thought of seeing him again made him tremble, made him question his decision often... But he wouldn’t turn back.

He needed that. The closure.

 

♠

 

"Your Highness, I bring news." One of his men announced one morning, finding the prince in the castle gardens three weeks after his orders.

"Yes?" He had no doubt what it was about. His heart was pounding.

“We found him.”

 

 ♠

 

"Are you sure of that, Your Highness?" Minho frowned, it was strange when Kibum called him like that.

"Why are you acting like this? This was your idea, remember?" The young heir asked, wearing a large black hooded coat that would keep him away from prying eyes.

"I know, but…" Kibum bit his lower lip with apprehension. The truth was he no longer knew if his idea had been so good. He was sending the person he loved straight into the arms of his former love. Besides, he was worried about what the king would do if he found out Minho was fleeing from the castle in the middle of the night to find the other boy. It wouldn’t be any good.

"You don’t have to worry, Kibummie." Minho turned to him with a comforting smile, moving closer to hold his hands. "I'll be back before the sun comes up, okay?"

Kibum just nodded. He knew that nothing he said would change the prince’s mind.

 

♠

 

"That’s the place, Your Highness." The accompanying servant announced from the horse by his side, both halting behind an old-looking, abandoned house.

Minho stepped off his horse, handing the reins to his companion as he surveyed the surrounding area. The prince was sure that was not one of the best places to live. Also, there weren’t a lot of houses around that one. In fact, all he saw was thicket everywhere, and the street was dark and muddy.

Approaching the house with hesitant steps, the young man took a deep breath before knocking on the door in front of him, his hands shaking and his heart racing.

Several seconds passed without any kind of noise, and Minho imagined that perhaps they hadn’t heard his knocks inside the place. Thinking of beating harder a few times, the prince was interrupted by the sound of approaching footsteps and then a key turning in the lock. He swallowed hard.

"Who is it so la-?" The door swung open violently, and Minho transfixed stared the wide-eyed young man in front of him.

It was him. There was no doubt his appearance had changed in the past years though... His hair was shorter now and in a lighter shade of brown, his features were thinner and he seemed to have lost several pounds, but Minho saw in front of him exactly the boy he had fallen in love with for so many years.

The boy he still loved very much.

“Jonghyun...”

At the sound of his name, the other boy seemed to come out of his trance, and his hands tightened, forming fists. "Go away!"

Minho only had a few seconds to recover from his shock before Jonghyun could slam the door in his face. With his both hands, the prince pushed the door hard and managed to enter the house with some difficulty.

"Go away, Your Highness! I don’t want to see you!" Jonghyun exclaimed again, his face red with fury and agitation, seeming to be completely out of his mind.

Minho couldn’t understand... To hear those words and the way Jonghyun has calling him made his chest tighten painfully. "Jonghyun... Can we talk, please?" He tried again, slowly approaching the boy.

"I have nothing to talk to you! I don’t want to have anything to do with your people anymore! Please _please_ , go away!" The older man repeated, taking several steps back.

"Why...? Jonghyun, I know you didn’t leave the castle on the best terms, and I'm sorry for what happened, but you know I never wanted you to be expelled that way, it wasn’t my fault! You know I loved you." Minho watched him tremble before him, Jonghyun’s eyes filled with tears, and that sight alone made him feel the worst person in the world. He just wanted to hug him, just wanted to... Apologize for all the suffering. "I still do, you know... Love you."

Tears streamed freely down the shorter boy's face, and he was now trembling even more, his eyes fixed on the ground. "I hate you, Minho."

Those words made Minho feel a sharp pang in his chest as if someone had stabbed him. It couldn’t be true... He didn’t understand... "Jonghyun, please, I-"

"They killed my mother," Jonghyun whispered, the strength finally leaving his body, forcing him to kneel on the floor. "That day… They killed my mother, Your Highness."

The prince took several steps back, his back hitting against the door and his eyes widening as he shivered even more than the boy in front of him, his heart about to explode. That could not... It couldn’t be real... His parents didn’t... "Jonghyun..."

"Because of your parents... I lost the only person I still had in the world," he continued, his voice low, but somewhat more controlled. "I lost the only two people I loved in that same day."

Trying to calm down, the prince walked slowly to the boy kneeling on the floor, wanting to hug him, wanting to comfort him anyway... He felt so terribly awful. He knelt as well. "I'm so sorry, Jonghyun... I never knew, I thought-"

"They promised they would kill me too if I ever met you again, so please... Go away. Just forget that I exist." Jonghyun said in a cold tone, backing away from the prince's hands.

Minho stood there, paralyzed, his head spinning and his thoughts chaotic as he tried to accept the idea that because of him the person he loved the most in the world had been through the worst of nightmares. Jonghyun had lived alone for all those years... Suffering, scared, probably crying every single day...

"I... I'm so sorry, Jonghyun." The young heir collapsed, desperate sobs escaping his lips, the pain in his chest even more intense, and the feeling of helplessness choking him. He couldn’t do anything to help Jonghyun, and he didn’t even know what he could do now. This just couldn’t be their closure. "I know I don’t... I don’t have the right to ask you this, but... please forgive me... I hate myself, Jonghyun... I hate myself even more than you hate me." Minho whispered, trying to control his tears. "But I love you. I love you _so much_. Forgive me for destroying your life..." He finished, bowing before the older boy.

"Minho, please..." Jonghyun didn’t know what to feel. He had never expected to see the prince again, never expected him to still feel the same way, to even remember his existence. Jonghyun had tried every single day since that night when he had seen his mother die before his eyes to hate the younger with all his might, but he knew he could never do it, no matter how hard he tried.

However, Jonghyun also knew that they had no future together, and he prayed every night he would never need to see Minho again. For his own good. Not because of the threat he had received from the king, but because his heart had already been broken enough for an entire lifetime.

But now he was here. And Jonghyun was weak, like always. "Me too..."

The prince raised his face to look at him. Jonghyun took a hand to his face, wiping away his falling tears. "I still… I love you too, Minho."

They looked at each other for several minutes, a swirl of conflicting emotions overpowering them both, leaving them vulnerable. Before he could restrain himself, Minho uttered the words that were screaming at him in his mind, words he hadn’t regretted even after they left his lips:

“Run away with me, Jonghyun.”

 

♠

    

"You can’t be serious, Minho! How can you think of running away?! Where are you going to?! How are you going to live?! Do you really think they won’t you, that no one will recognize you?! My prince, listen to me, please!"

For several minutes, Kibum tried incessantly to bring rationality back to his prince, without success. Choi Minho didn’t seem to be considering the cons of his attitude: he was convinced of what he wanted and needed to do.

"I've already made up my mind, Kibum. I would hate myself for the rest of my life if I didn’t make it up to him for everything I caused him." The prince stated as he continued his preparations, ignoring the pleading eyes of the younger boy behind him. "I love him, Kibum. I need this."

"And I need you!" The young blonde exclaimed, completely losing control of his emotions. Heavy tears streamed down his cheeks.

Alarmed by the other's tone of voice, Minho turned to face him. At that moment, the prince seemed to finally realize the real despair in his friend's eyes. In a few seconds, he shortened the distance between them, holding the boy’s hands in his own. "You'll be fine, Bummie..."

"I won’t be fine, Minho! Y-you don’t understand..." Kibum insisted, trying to explain himself through the tears that were still escaping against his will, his body trembling with the intensity of the emotions that overwhelmed him. "I'm not going to be okay!"

Minho sighed. “Kibum...”

Before the prince could console him, Kibum acted without thinking, attacking his lips with his own. Taken completely by surprise, Minho remained motionless as he was kissed with passion, the blonde trying to make him understand with his actions all the feelings his words could not convey.

When Kibum walked away, however, the prince's eyes showed him that it hasn’t been enough. Still, he had nothing more to lose, "I love you, Minho..."

The pained expression on Minho’s face made Kibum wish he could withdraw his words.

"I'm so sorry, Kibum... Please forgive me." With a painful hug, Choi Minho expressed what Kibum had already seen in his eyes. "But you know I can’t return your feelings..."

Yes, he knew.

 

♠

 

"You're back..." Jonghyun murmured with rather wide eyes, as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing, as if the day before had been a dream or a sick joke.

"I promised I'd come back, didn’t I?" The prince offered him a gentle smile, entering the little house he was visiting again, this time without obstructions. "I already have a place for us, so let's leave really early tomorrow, before the sun comes up," he quickly informed Jonghyun, pulling the older boy against him and nuzzling him in his strong arms.

Jonghyun closed his eyes, his own arms wrapping around the prince without hesitation. His words, on the other hand, said the opposite, "Minho... You can’t do that. You're going to be king one day, we can’t just drop everything and run away."

The prince pulled away just enough to hold Jonghyun’s face in his hands, their eyes meeting. "I care a lot more about you than about my people, Jonghyun. I would’ve been a selfish king, anyway."

"Minho..." Jonghyun scolded him with his eyes and voice, still uncertain about those plans.

Minho kissed him gently, sighing against the plump pair of lips that made him feel more alive than anything else in the world. "Let me stay with you, Jonghyun... Let me love you enough for each of the days I didn’t. For every single day that I left you alone."

Jonghyun had no more arguments. He could be selfish too.

 

♠

 

"I thought I’d never have you like this again..." Minho whispered in admiration, his body propped on his elbows over Jonghyun’s, both lying on a small old mattress on the room’s floor. His words and gestures painted a faint blush on the shorter boy’s cheekbones, and the prince couldn’t see how he could possibly love Jonghyun more than he already did at that moment. " _Perfect_... You’re perfect. I love you."

Jonghyun replied by descending his hands over the other’s broad back, scraping it lightly and making him shiver. " _Please_."

Minho didn’t need any more words to understand the desire he also felt to connect their bodies again, to have Jonghyun in every possible way, to make him his own. Without waiting anymore, the prince thrust his hips against him, invading him slowly and hearing him moan his name softly, Jonghyun’s back arched and his hands buried in his hair. Completely his.

They kissed with abandon, and Minho tried to pour all his love into actions, tried to heal every single emotional scar he gave Jonghyun over the past few years. He wanted to erase them all. More than anything in the world, he yearned to make Jonghyun happy. He knew that wouldn’t be easy, but he was more than willing to devote his life for that sole purpose.

The prince knew exactly what he lived for. And it wasn’t for his people.

 

♠

 

"All set, my love?" The prince asked his companion next morning, the preparations made, and the horse ready to go.

Minho had explained to Jonghyun the night before that for their long journey they wouldn’t need much beyond their own body clothes. The young heir had brought with him money and other things of value, and taken care of several other small details so that nothing would be lacking in his new and anonymous life. He also had some allies of the castle by his side.

Jonghyun bit his lower lip apprehensively. "I don’t know if I can be more ready than this... I just hope we're not making a mistake."

With a small smile, the prince made his way to him in a few strides, holding his face in his hands. "We'll be happy together, Jonghyun... Nothing could be more correct than this," Minho replied with conviction, erasing the remaining doubts with the comfort of a long, passionate kiss.

So, they were ready to leave.

Before they did, however, a few knocks on the house’s door echoed through the room.

"Who could it be?" The prince asked, his face furrowed with suspicion.

"I don’t know..." Jonghyun murmured, somewhat alarmed. The only people he used to receive were the postman, the milkman, the owner of the house, occasionally some children selling things... But none of them would bother him so early. Something told him that couldn’t be good.

The two young men looked at each other with apprehension for a few seconds, interrupted by further insistent knocks. "You should answer." The prince spoke very softly. "Whoever it is, it's better for them to leave already so we can go…"

Jonghyun nodded, trying not to show his nervousness as Minho hid in his room. The heir to the throne could not be seen in his company.

Hearing new knocks on the door, Jonghyun stepped hesitantly to open it, his eyes widening at once when he saw who waited for him on the other side, a shiver taking over his whole body.

The king. And two of his men.

"I never thought we would meet again." The monarch said with a fake smile, his cold eyes never leaving the younger boy in front of him. "...Kim Jonghyun."

"M-Majesty..." Jonghyun trembled visibly as he bowed in reverence (though he didn’t want to show any respect to the man). "What brings you here?"

Without any kind of invitation, the king and his guards entered the house, one of them closing the door behind him. "I believe we have unfinished business, Jonghyun-ssi. After all, I thought I had been pretty clear on my last visit."

"I'm afraid I don’t know what Your Majesty is referring to." Jonghyun lied, his hands clasped to his body in a futile attempt to hide his trembling.

"How dare you lie in front of your king!" The monarch exploded in a cold voice that made each of the hairs on his body stand up again. "Or do you think I didn’t see my son's horse outside of your house?! You think I don’t know he's hidden here somewhere?!"

“I-I d-don’t—”

"Don’t you try to make a fool out of me! You're the dirtiest, meanest creature I've ever had the displeasure to meet! You poisoned my son like a snake, you cursed my family! I won’t allow you to--"

"Enough already!" The prince left the place where he has hiding and joined them, no longer able to listen quietly to the king’s words. Jonghyun felt his blood freeze at the sound of his voice. "I won’t let you keep insulting him like that!"

Seeing him, the monarch smiled in satisfaction. "Why, now... Who do we have here? I think your filthy little friend was playing dumb, my son."

Minho growled, his hands clenching into fists, his body shaking, not out of fear, but fury. "I told you not to insult him in front of me!"

"You are not in any position to demand something here!" The king retorted, losing again the apparent calm he was demonstrating. "Did you think you could just run away from the castle, go wherever you wanted and live your life like a fairy tale?! With this disgusting kid?! Did you think there would be no consequences?! That I would just accept yor betrayal with crossed arms?!"

The prince remained silent, his face red with anger, feeling helpless and, for the first time, scared. He felt terrified. Not for himself, but for what could happen to the boy he loved, if he couldn’t help it.

"The last time I met your little friend here, son... I believe I made him a promise." The monarch spoke softly again, his eyes now fixed on the other boy. "You remember, don’t you, Kim Jonghyun?" He uttered the name with disgust. "What would happen to you if you ever met my son again?"

"I won’t let anyone touch him!" The prince's voice reverberated through the house, startling even the boy beside him, who whispered his name in a plea, fearing his attitude would make matters even worse.

The king smiled, amused. How could his son be so foolish, so innocent...

The monarch's face leaned slightly toward the man to his left. A brief, almost imperceptible nod, and the guard knew his orders perfectly well.

Almost imperceptible.

In a matter of seconds, several things happened at the same time.

The king gave his order.

The guard swung his weapon out with agility and pointed it at his target.

The prince had little time to react and throw himself in front of Jonghyun before the bullet struck him full in the chest.

Jonghyun screamed at the top of his lungs as he saw the prince crumble before him, the blood gushing mercilessly through his simple white t-shirt, painting scarlet all over the floor around him.

"NO!" The boy threw himself to his knees on the floor, his body wrapping the prince in despair, holding him against his body, the tears automatically streaming down his face. "Minho! No no no no no! Minho, _please_ , listen to me! Minho, my love, no, no, _please_ , no! "He shouted non-stop, his whole body trembling more than ever and uncontrollable sobs escaping his lips, the person he loved completely still in his arms. "Please, Minho, _please_ , I love you, my prince, I love you, please!"

"Arrest this filthy creature now!"

Hearing the king's command, Jonghyun held the prince even more tightly, struggling as he could not to leave him as the two men approached and pulled him with some ease from the body. "Minho, M-Minho... No, Minho, I love you, I love you..." Jonghyun struggled uselessly against the strong arms of the men holding him and dragging him out of the house, his entire body still convulsing with heavy tears.

“Minho… I love you…”

It didn’t take long though for the boy to realize he had no more reason to fight. His eyes closed and he allowed himself to be silently escorted...

 

♠

 

The next day, Jonghyun died as a traitor, guillotined before the eyes of all people of Gyeonbok, accused for the murder of the royal heir. They all hated him, cried for his execution, and celebrated his head. For him, after losing the last person he still loved, it didn’t really matter his closure.

 

♠

 

Kim Kibum would always regret in silence having betrayed the confidence of his prince.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry...? T_T'  
> Thanks for reading, any feedback will be appreciated <3


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